I grow roses because I like to make flower arrangements, large arrangements with many flowers and lots of color, to give away to friends. That answers a need in me that was stifled during World War I, the Depression and World War II — a time when colorful gardens were scarce for me. My family did not own a home. Now I plant as many roses as I can find space for, so I can make large, colorful arrangements; the more voluptuous the arrangement, the happier I am.
MAKING A ROSE BED
When I started growing roses a long time ago, the first thing I did was to choose a good site. I knew that roses liked lots of sun, so I chose a place out in the yard away from a fence or tree that would give shade. I had either my husband or my yard helper dig a hole. We found that the soil was hard black gumbo, so we threw away half of the gumbo and kept half of it, because it was nutritious. Then we mixed the soil with all the contents of the sack of “Rose Garden Soil,” which included organics — cottonseed meal, sulfur, bone meal, pearlite, sand, gypsum, superphosphate, and timereleased rose food. We added loamy top soil to raise the bed 4 inches above the lawn for good drainage.
The most important thing you need to grow roses is good soil. I have lived in my house 50 years. I made a compost pile in 1971 by the Indore method, invented by Sir Albert Howard. This is how my helper, Raul Lopez, and I make compost. He does the work while I instruct. Make a pile of leaves and grass clippings into a 6inch layer, 5 feet by 5 feet. On top of this, sprinkle top soil. On top of this sprinkle 131313 fertilizer. (The original method calls for using manure, but we have no way of getting manure.) On top of this, sprinkle water to make the mixture of soil, leaves and grass moist. Now continue to make layers until you reach a height of 5 feet. At this height, the pile will heat up and get to 160 degrees. You have finished the first pile except for the most important thing — giving air to the microbes. To do that you have to turn the pile. The time it takes to turn the leaves into compost depends on how often the pile is turned. If you turn the pile every day, you will have compost — nice black, wonderful soil — in 14 days. I used to turn it when I was young, but now I cannot lift the pitch fork. When a pile is finished, Raul puts it into the compost bin. This has been going on since 1971. So you can imagine what good soil we have because we have added compost to the flower beds as a mulch all these years.
FERTILIZING
I have killed some roses with too much fertilizer by not measuring it. To prevent that, I have been giving my roses the same combination and quantity of fertilizer. I measure into 8ounce paper cups 3/4 cup of 131313 fertilizer and 1/4 cup of Epsom Salts. Raul takes the cups out to the garden, waits until the sprinkler wets the two beds, and around each rose bush without touching the stems, he sprinkles one cup in a 6inch circle and digs it into the earth and waters again.
By May 15 two of my President Lincoln rose bushes had grown to be 56 inches tall, but there were few roses. My mentor, Rich Bottler of Teas Nursery, told me that Texas A & M University has suggested minimizing phosphorus and emphasizing nitrogen. Therefore, I got some rose food whose numbers are 21147 and will instruct Raul to give the roses one tablespoon of rose food sprinkled 6 inches around the rose bushes and to water before and after. Also, there is still blackspot on several bushes, so I will get a stronger fungicide.
WATERING
It is difficult to tell whether the roses get the required 2 inches of water each week. My sprinkler goes on three times a week early in the morning. Today I have blooming roses, snapdragons, larkspur, shrimp plants and pansies, so it looks like they are getting enough water. Being old curbs my activity, but Raul will water extra if he thinks the garden needs it.
PRUNING
Roses need pruning by February 14 in Houston, which is the beginning of warm weather. All my roses are pruned to about a third of what they were, except my First Prize climber. It is not supposed to be cut back. Raul did not know this and pruned it; now it is growing long climbing branches again. We will tie the branches in an arc so the new roses will shoot up off the arc. Raul did not prune my Don Juan climber, so this April it had about 30 to 40 roses.
CUTTING
When we cut flowers, we cut the stem 1/4 inch above an outwardfacing fiveparted leaf, leaving a good stem. This stimulates the bush to grow another flower. It is best to put cut roses right into a bucket of warm water. I look at my roses every day to see if they need picking or deadheading. They bloom better if kept picked.
We take the flowers into the kitchen. I sit at the table in a comfortable chair and cut the leaves off the roses so they will not be in the vase of water. I cut off the thorns with a butcher knife. If I can remember, I will put “flower fresh” in the water. If I am not going to make an arrangement, I will put the vase in the refrigerator. I have kept roses a whole week before using them.
When you grow roses, you have so many rose petals every day, that you can use them to make potpourri. I cannot throw away the soft red and pink petals, so I take spent petals off old roses and put them on a cookie sheet on top of the refrigerator to dry. In three or four days they are ready to use in potpourri.
ARRANGING
I take the container, place floral foam in it and tape it down securely in the container. I put the container on a Lazy Susan so I can turn the container to view all sides. Then I take a pointed flower or fern and measure the vase and make the fern one-and-a-half times the length of the vase for the height of the arrangement. I put one or three pieces of fern in the middle. I put other pointed material in the background, such as larkspur, snapdragon and/or rose buds. Then I arrange the round flowers — roses, pansies, calendulas or chrysanthemums, branching out and down low for center of interest. I use leaves around the edges to hide the floral foam — bay leaf, boxwood, elaeagnus or shrimp plant. Florists use leatherleaf fern. I like to use maidenhair fern. It is the prettiest, but it will not hold up unless you soak the fronds under water for several hours or overnight.
ENJOYING
I have had my garden for 50 years. I go there early in the morning before it gets too hot. It is quiet, peaceful, restful, full of flowers and color. You might wonder how I manage a garden at 93 years. I think the garden manages me! I enjoy walking out to my two rose beds — my special place — leaning on my two walking canes to see if anything needs me. Is it too dry? Do I have full open roses ready to cut? Are thrips biting some rose buds? Do some need deadheading?
My garden gives me a place to get exercise and fresh air; it affords me flowers to arrange and to give to my friends; it makes me work to take care of the things that need to be done — picking the flowers, nursing the sick ones, going to the nursery to ask my horticulture mentor what to do when I have problems.
As I watch my helper, Raul, turn the compost, I think of the myriad number of microbes busy working below ground changing my leaves and grass clippings into black, friable wonderful soil.
I take flowers to my doctors and nurses, my hairdresser. I take potpourris to the checkout girls at the grocery store, and flower arrangements to friends whether they are celebrating or grieving. A basket of roses is a lovely gift.
Note: This article appeared in January/February 2003 “Texas Gardener” Magazine on pages 30-33